Aspirations failure, disadvantage traps and inclusive regional policy

Ghosal, S. (2021) Aspirations failure, disadvantage traps and inclusive regional policy. National Institute Economic Review, 255, pp. 56-68. (doi: 10.1017/nie.2020.51)

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Abstract

This paper examines the implications for regional policy of new research on the role played by a failure in the ‘capacity to aspire’ [Appadurai, A. (2004), ‘The capacity to aspire’, in Rao, V. and Walton, M. (eds), Culture and Public Action, Washington, DC: World Bank.] in perpetuating disadvantage traps. After a brief review of the magnitude of the challenge that regional policy needs to confront, it provides a summary of the theoretical and empirical literature on poverty and aspirations failure (and the associated loss of agency, beliefs and self-efficacy). The key implication for the design of an inclusive regional policy is that it needs to address simultaneously the sources of external constraints (such as the availability of resources or adequate infrastructure) and mitigate the aspirations failure inherently linked to persistent disadvantage.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Ghosal, Professor Sayantan
Authors: Ghosal, S.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Economics
Journal Name:National Institute Economic Review
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
ISSN:0027-9501
ISSN (Online):1741-3036
Published Online:16 March 2021
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2021 National Institute Economic Review
First Published:First published in National Institute Economic Review 255:56-68
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher

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